ISHS Acta Horticulturae 461: International Symposium on Biotechnology of Tropical and Subtropical Species Part 2
PROGRESS IN TRANSGENIC PAPAYA (CARICA PAPAYA) RESEARCH: TRANSFORMATION FOR BROADER RESISTANCE AMONG CULTIVARS AND MICROPROPAGATING SELECTED HYBRID TRANSGENIC PLANTS |
| Authors: | M. Fitch, P. Moore, T. Leong |
| Keywords: | papaya ringspot virus, virus resistance, genetic transformation, clone performance, cultivar ecotypes, clonal propagation |
| Abstract:
As Hawaii's first transgenic virus resistant papayas near commercialization, several new aspects of research emerge. Additional papaya cultivars adapted to specific locations are being transformed with different papaya ringspot virus (PRV) genes. Seed production of transgenic hybrids has been undertaken by the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, HARC, in collaboration with the University of Hawaii. Hybrid plants are being micropropagated to determine the feasibility of producing propagules through tissue culture to help the industry recover from setbacks during our recent 5-year-old virus epidemic. Two hybrid hermaphrodite transgenic lines from the same seed source were propagated, one from seedlings germinated aseptically in tissue culture and then micropropagated, the other from a mature, superior field-grown tree whose lateral shoots were decontaminated and propagated in vitro. Both plants produced lines with fruit that were of acceptable quality. The seedling-derived propagules multiplied in culture at an 8X per month rate once the cultures were actively growing. Rooting efficiency ranged from 20–40% per month. To date about 400 rooted transgenic hybrid hermaphrodite shoots have been produced from about 1000 cuttings in one month. Less than 10% of the slow-growing lateral shoots from mature, field-grown trees could be made aseptic with our decontamination treatments. Two months after decontamination, multiplication from a single shoot was about 5 x per month on a modified DeFossard medium. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
